Stocking with means for improving the elasticity, and process of producing the same



Jam-6, 1942. J, D N 2,268,818

STOCKING WITH MEANS FOR IMPROVING THE ELASTICITY,

AND PROCESS OF PRODUCING THE SAME Filed March 21, 1939 Patented Jan. 6,1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,268,818 STOCKING WITH MEANS FORIMPROVING THE ELASTICITY, AND DUCING THE SAME Indianapolis, Ind.,assignor to Jacob A. Goodman,

National Silk Hosiery Mills,

PROCESS OF PRO- Inc., Indianapolis,

Ind., a corporation of Indiana Application March 21, 1939, Serial No.263,297

7 17 Claims. This invention relates to hoisery and has for the generalobject the provision of a stockin wherein the upper portion is lesssubject to strain and breakage under stresses such as' developed bychange in diameter of the leg when flexed and tension imposed by garterfastenings, and which is adapted to conform itself to legs of varyingdiameter without developing in the fabric any excessive strain.

It has heretofore. been proposed to increase the stretchability of thetop area of knitted 1 stockings by modifying the texture thereof throughthe use of special stitch formations producing an open lace-work and-byalso knitting covered rubber thread with the relatively inelastic bodyyam. It has also been proposed to reduce the amount of reinforcement inparts of the stocking top so as to include areas of lighter fabrictherein which may be somewhat more elastic than the reinforced fabricnormally employed.

The present invention has the advantage over practices just referred toin that the upper. portion of the stocking need not be modified in itsas to both render the upper portion of the stocking capable of a highdegree of stretch beyond its normal diameter and relieve the main fabricof the stocking upper of excessive stresses.

The elastic panel is formed separately from the stocking proper. Asidefrom the fact that it is difficult to knit a satisfactory stocking withrubber thread knit therein, the usual fine gauge knitting machineemployed in the production of hosiery is not adapted to knitting fabricof rubber thread which will have adequate stretch per unit dimensionthereof for purposes of the present invention. To attain the desireddegree of stretchabiiity the panel is preferably made of an entirelydifferent texture from the stocking fabric. Woven or knitted webbing ofrelatively coarse open-work texture made of rubber yarn, and capable ofstretch both longitudinally and v (on. co -17s) circumferentially isparticularly suitable. Inasmuch as'it is desirable that the panel be confined to a relatively small area. of the upper portion of the stocking,the panel should be capable 5 of stretch to an extent, atleastin acircumferential direction, to a substantial multiple of its normaldimension. At the same time the resiliency of the panel, that is theresistance thereof to being stretched to and the contractile tendency toreturn from distended to normal condition, must be sufficiently low thatthe panelhas the character of easy stretchability so that it may stretchsim taneously with, but to a degree greater than'ythe main stockingfabric. It will-be recognized that if the panel is so resistive tostretch that the "main stocking fabric is stretched to its elasticsorbed by the panel.

A particular feature of the invention includes a manner of inserting thepanel in astocking "without entailing weaknesses along the lines ofjoinder thereof with the adjoining areas of the stocking fabric. Ashereafter explained the invention permits a panelto be inserted in astocking by joining the same only to selvage .edges of the stockingfabric through a simple seaming operation, and without liability ofruns.

In its application to women's stockings having delicate leg fabricextending. up over the knee- -followed by a single ply reinforced areaand a reinforced double ply welt at the upperextremit'y, the inventionserves not only to increase the circumferential expanslbility of thestocking to accommodate the portion of the leg of largest diameter, buthas. additional primary benefits in relieving the delicate leg fabric atand above 40 the knee from strain and and also accomplishes a similarpurpose along the lines where the unreinforced delicate leg fabric meetsthe single ply reinforced flare and where the single ply flare meets thedouble ply welt. Runs frequently originate in the latter areas,particularly adjacent the rear stocking seam.

It should be observed before passing to a. de-

tailed description of the invention that the portion of a stocking atand above the kneels subject to both vertical and circumferentialstresses. Supporting garters, which connectwith the top usually at twoor three circumferentially spaced initial vertical tension which points,impose an tends to elongate the knitted loops of the fabric expandedcondition limit before the panel begins to stretch, the main fabric maybe weakened and ruptured before av :0 portion of the stress actingthereon can be abdanger of breaking,

tension tends to flatten the knitted fabric loops coursewise at the sametime that the vertical tension tends to elongate the loops vertically.The ability of the fabric to stretch circumferentially is necessarilylimited by reason of the vertical tension imposed by the garters, andwhen the leg is bent increased circumferential and/or vertical tensionmay readily strain the inelastic thread of the knitted fabric loops tothe breaking point. The lighter leg fabric at and immediately-above theknee, located below the reinforced fabric top, will usually break firstbecause of its weaker character, and experience has shown that runsfrequently originate in this area. Concentrated strains also frequentlyoccur adjacent the rear seam where the boundary lines between theunreinforced leg fabric meet the reinforced flare and where thereinforced flare meets the double ply welt, and runs frequently developalso at these points.

The present invention provides a relatively limited area of highstretchability' which operates both to minimize the initial stressimposed in the stocking fabric above the knee when expanded to thenormal diameter of the leg and to absorb a considerable part of theadditional stress imposed when the leg is bent. By minimizing thetension in a circumferential direction the highly elastic area providedalso serves to minimize the adverse effect in the stocking fabric ofvertical stresses, and through the use of twoway stretch fabric in thehighly elastic area the tension in a vertical direction initiallycreated by the garters and accentuated through bending of the leg islessened to some degree. In short, it may be said-that the provision ofthe highly elastic area serves to maintain the condition of,

the knitted fabric of the stocking Within its elastic limits so that theknitted loops thereof are not distended to the point where the inelasticyam composing the fabric is strained to the breaking point.

The drawing illustrates the application of the principles of theinvention in a womans full fashioned stocking of' generally conventionaldesign, and shows. certain minor changes in the form of a' portion ofthe stocking which are desirable to enable the invention to be to bestadvantage. In such drawing:

Fig. 1 is a view of a conventional stocking top of a woman's fullfashioned stocking, more or less diagrammatic, and incorporating oneembodiment of the invention:

Fig, 2 shows the elastic insert and the.

preferred form of stocking blank used in making the stocking of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig.1;

. Fig. 4 shows a stocking similar to Fig. 1 but embodying a furtheradaptation of the invention; and 4 Fig. 5.is a fragmentary view of astocking blanlr. used in the construction of Fig. 4.

employed The stocking shown in Figures 1 and 2 includes a top portion Tof reinforced fabric integrally knit with the upper portion U of theunreinforced fabric leg L. The top portion may as previously explainedbe of any desired form but is here shown as comprising the conventionaldouble ply welt W and heavy single ply fabric flare F. Inelastic silk,cotton or other thread may be employed throughout the fabric of theseareas, and the fabric may be knit with any desired stitch.

Located centrally 0f the rear of the stocking beginning at a point I0 inthe unreinforced leg fabric at or slightly above the knee is a panel Pof highly elastic material. The panel here represented comprises a stripof open mesh woven webbing composed of rubber thread and comprising ahighly elastic two-way stretch central portion H, and opposite marginalportions [2 and i3 suitable for anchoring securing stitching which arepreferably inelastic widthwise but elastic lengthwise.

The panel in the present embodiment extends upwardly from itsbeginning-point in the area of the leg portion to the upper extremity ofthe welt W and is capable of a high degree of stretch both transverselyand vertically to a substantially greater degree than the fabric in thevarious areas referred to. The opposite edges M and 5 of the stockingfabric above the point H] are spaced apart as shown in Figure 3 and areseamed by suitable stitching to the margins l2 and I3 of the elasticpanel. The seaming may be done on a machine as employed in forming therear scam in the usual full fashioned stocking.

In order to permit the elastic panel to be incorporated without unduedifficulty, and in such manner as to prevent runs, it is desirable thatthepanel have a tapered lower portion I 6 terminating substantially in apoint. To enable the panel to be inserted without varying the normaldiameter of the stocking, the stocking blank is preferably formed asshown in Figure 2. Therein the welt W and flare F are each narrower thanthe corresponding portions in a conventional stocking by a widthcorresponding sub stantially to the width of the panel P so that whentheblank is folded a space will be left between the side edges l4 and IS.The blank is then progressively widened out to reach its normal diameterin the leg fabric, reaching its maximum diameter at the lower extremityof the arbitrarily indicated upper leg portion U. The frequency andextent of the progressive widening will be determined generallyaccording to the length of the tapered lower portion l6 of the panel P.In widening it is important to maintain a 'selvage edge I I incontinuation of the vertical selvage edge H to avoid danger of runs.Various ways have been heretofore proposed for widening flat knit fabricand maintaining an interlocking of the edge loops such as to form aselvage. I prefer to employ the method shown and explained in thecopending application Serial No. 290,662. of Benjamin F. Somers, filedAugust 17,1939. By reason of the uni'einforced character of the legfabric in the upper portion U they will be bstantially hidden when thepanel preferably being narrowed below portion'U because of the reduceddiameter of the knee. After the stocking including the foot portion hasbeen completed the panel P will be seamed to the opposite edges ofportions T and U, and the edges of the main leg portion will be securedtogether in seam is. As a matter of convenience the joinder of onemargin of the panel with one edge of the stocking blank above point maybe formed in a continuous seam with the seam l0 in the leg portion. Inthe event the panel P has a raw upper edge a short marginal portion mayseaming the panel into position.

The embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 4 obtains the mainbenefits of the invention in reducing strain and the danger of breakagein the upper leg portion in the knee area and the adjoining reinforcedflare as in the case of Figure 1. In this case, however, the two-' wayelasti c insert P' does not extend to the upper extremity of thestocking welt W and "is shown arbitrarily as terminating approximatelyat the line of joinder between welt W and the reinforced flare F, beingconfined to the area ofsections F and U.-

be doubled over to provide a folded edge prior to The welt W will extendstrain the stocking threads to the breaking pointof Figure 1, the weltis rendered extremely exin the area at and above the knee. By employii ga panel which is'stretchable vertically as well as horizontally, thedanger' of undue stress frequently encountered along the rear seam ofthe stocking is minimized to a great extent. Whereas the conventionalstocking has its lowest degree of vertical stretch along .the rear seam,both embodimentsof the invention provide .for ready strctchability inthe line of the seam.

By extending the elastic insert to the upper extremity of the stockingas in the embodiment pansible' in a circumferential direction so as toprovide a nice fit on legs of different diameter in addition torelieving stresses which ordinarily occur in the welt due to tensionproduced therein by the leg and supporting garters.

The use of a separate elastic panelas an insert in the stocking topprovides an extremely convenient way of obtaining-different diametertops for ing any change in the stocking blank itself. 'It

throughout the diameter of the top portion with its opposite edges 2|and 22 secured in seam '23 while the edges of the leg portion L belowthe insert panel will be secured together in seam 24.

To avoid danger of runs and to enable the panel P to be readily securedin position, it is preferable that the same should taper substantiallyto points at its upper and lower ends 25 and 26. The opposite margins 21and 28 of the panel will be seamed to the adjoining edges of thestocking fabric.

To accommodate the two-way elastic insert panel P, it is preferable toform the stocking blank in the manner shown in Figurev 5. While in theblank of Figure 2 used for the stocking shown in Figure 1 the weltwasknit of narrower width, in the present case the welt W is knit towardly inclined selvage edges 29. Thereafter, to accommodate theconverging lower portion of the panel, widening is employed in the upperleg portion U to provide oppositely inclined selvage edges and aspreviously explained it is preferable to reinforce the fabric along thewidened portions 30 because of the delicate texture of the leg fabric.The stocking blank is thereafter completed. The panel may be seamed to.the opposite edges 29 and 30 at the time the stocking welt and legportions are seamed;

By using highly elastic fabric for the panels P and P in the embodimentsof Figures 1 and 4, the upper unreinforced leg portion and thereinforced top portion are rendered capable of a substantially greaterdegree of stretch than permitted bythe knitted texture of the stockingfabric, with the result that the knitted loops of the fabric aresubjected to substantially less stress than in the ordinary stocking.Hence, increased stress either circumferentially or vertically, when theleg is flexed; will be insuflicient' to slim and large legs withoutnecessitat has been found that many women with large thighs should havea stocking with leg and ankle portions of standard diameters althoughrequiring an extra large top. The knitting of an extra width top on astandard leg involves practical difliculties. With the presentinvention, the top portion of a stocking blank maybe knit as shown inFigure l with standard leg and ankle portions and the diameter of thetop varied merely by using different width elastic inserts between theedges of the stocking blank fabric. Thus, the same knitted stockingblank may be provided with different size top portions for slim,

'medium, and large thighs, and in each instance It will be understoodthat the specific forms of elastic panels illustrated are merelysuggestive I with respect to texture, length and width. The scope of theinvention is to be determined in accordance with the appended claims.

I claim: 1. The method of -making fashioned stocking which includesknitting the upper portion of a stocking for at least a part of itslength to a narrower width than the widest part of the leg part so as toprovide an opening in the upper portion between the margins of thestocking blank, seaming the margins of the stocking together other thanat saidnarrow portion, and seaming an elastic panel in the opening atsaid narrow portion. v

2. The method of producing a full-fashioned stocking which includesknitting a flat stocking blank with an area of narrow width in its upperportion, widening the blank to terminate said area by knitting a limitednumber of courses of progressively increasing width, discontinuing thewidening and thereafter knitting the main leg portion and. the footportion, securing a fabric insert between the marginal edge parts of theblank in said narrow area of the upper portion down to the lower end ofthe series of widened courses, and seaming together the other marginaledge parts of the blank.

3. The method of producing a full-fashioned stocking which includesknitting a flatstocking blank with an area of narrow width in its upperportion by knitting an initial series of courses of the same width atthe uppermost part of the stocking blank and then knitting a limitednuma fiat-knit full- 4 ber of courses of progressively increasing widthto widen the blank, discontinuing the widening and-thereafter knittingthe main leg portion and the foot portion, securing a fabric insertbetween the marginal edge parts of the area of narrow width in the upperportion down to the lower end of the series of widened courses, andseaming to gether the marginal edge parts of the other areas of theblank.

4. The method of producing a full-fashioned stocking which includesknitting a fiat stocking blank with an initial series of wide courses,forming a narrow area in the upper portion thereafter by knitting aseries of courses of progressively decreasing width and a subsequentseries of courses of progressively increasing width, thereafter knittingthe main leg portion and the foot portion, securing a fabric insertbetween the marginal edges of the narrow area of the upper portion ofthe blank along the narrowed courses and the widened courses, andseaming together the marginal edge partsof the other portions of theblank. 4

5. A stocking including a reinforced knitted fabric top portion and anadjoining lighter knitted fabric main body portion, and a separatelyformed elastic panel embodying rubber thread inserted at the rear of thestocking top portion and seamed between opposite edges of the stocking,said panel extending downwardly below the boundary between the topportion and main body portion and terminating in a lower end portiontapered to a point in the upperpart of the main body portion at the backof the knee area.

6. A full-fashioned stocking defined by oppoe site selvage edges, aseparately formed elastic panel embodying rubber threads inserted in theupper portion of the stocking, said panel having opposite edges whichare parallel in their upper area and taper in their lower area to apointed lower end, a main rear seamjoining together the opposite edgesof the stocking below the panel, and seams joining the respective edgesof the panel to the edges of' the stocking in the upper portion thereof,said seams converging to meet the main seam at the lower end of thepanel.

7. A full-fashioned stocking having a rear seam joining the oppositeedges thereof and terminating below the upper end of the stocking, and avertically and horizontally stretchable fabric panel extending from theend of the seam upwardly through the upper portion of the stocking andbeing secured at its side edges to the upper opposite edge portions ofthe stocking.

8. A knitted stocking comprising a knitted fabric body having spacedvertically extending opposite edge portions in the rear upper portionthereof, and a vertical panel insert having a relatively elastic bodyportion and having opposite marginal side portions which are relativelyinelastic at least widthwise, said panel being secured in the stockingby stitching interconnecting said side margins of the panel with thespaced opposite side edge portions of the stocking fabric.

9. A knitted stocking comprising a knitted fabric body having areinforced top portion and an adjoining unreinforced leg portion, saidfabric body having spaced opposite edge portions in the rear upper partof the unreinforced leg portion in the back knee area, and an elasticpanel insert embodying rubber thread and capable of stretching to agreater extent circumferentially than the leg fabric secured between thespaced edge portions of the fabric body. I

10. A knitted stocking comprising a knitted fabric body including a topportion and a leg portion, said fabric body having spaced opposite edgeportions at the rear of the stocking beginning in the leg portion andextending up' wardly in the top portion, the top portion com-- thereofto the reinforced spaced edge portions of the leg and top portions.

11. A full fashioned knitted stocking having rear selvage edges andincluding a reinforced top portion and an adjoining unreinforced legportion, said rear selvage edges being spaced apart beginning at a pointin the upper part of the leg portion at the back of the knee area andextending upwardly to the upper end of the top portion, and an elasticpanel embodying rubber thread and having a lower end portion tapering toa point secured between the spaced portions of the rear selvage edges,and a seam joining together the rear selvage edgesbelow the panel.

12. A knitted stocking comprising a knitted fabric body including areinforced top portion and an adjoining unreinforced leg portion, saidfabric body having spaced opposite edge portions at the rear of thestocking beginning at a point in the upper part of the leg portion andterminating in the top portion short of'the upper end of the stocking,and anelastic panel embodying rubber thread and having upper and lowerend portions tapering to points inserted between and secured to saidspaced edge portions.

13. A knitted stocking comprising a knitted fabric body including anunreinforced leg portion;

and a top portion comprising a reinforced double ply welt and areinforced single ply portion connecting the welt with the leg portion,said fabric body having spaced edge portions at the rear of the stockingbeginning at a point in the upper part of the'leg portion and extendingupwardly through at least the single ply portion of the top, and a panelembodying rubber thread and having a lower end portion tapering to apoint inserted between and secured to said spaced edge portions.

14. A knitted stocking comprising a knitted fabric body including anunreinforced leg portion, and a top portion comprising a reinforceddouble ply welt and a reinforced single ply portion connecting the weltwith the leg portion, said fabric body having spaced edge portions atthe rear of the stocking extending downwardly through at least the lowerarea of the double ply welt at least into the reinforced single plyportion of the top, and a fabric panel embodying rubber thread insertedbetween and seamed to said spaced edge portions.

. 15. A full-fashioned stocking comprising a knitted fabric body havingthe opposite edges of its leg portion joined together in a seam, theupper portion of the stocking including an area of reduced widthdefining an opening, said portion of reduced width in its lower portiongradually having a lower point inserted in the openin:

edzes oi the stockjnl hbrlc.

. 1'1. A stockin: eoinprisinz s. knitted fabric body havin: spacedopposite d" P rtions. an

m'pmumbodmmmmmmdm mum-mm the spaced opposite edae portions "5 meetin:each other ,at

in: upper end lower .pointsinsertedbetween edge portions,

mints of said 7. end

the upper and lower end JACOB A, GOODMAN.

